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Ukrainian President Selenskyj speaks in the Bundestag
11.06.2024, 14:29
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For the second time since the Russian attack more than two years ago, the Ukrainian head of state is giving a speech in the Bundestag. But this time Zelensky is there in person. The BSW members want to boycott his speech.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gives a speech in the Bundestag in Berlin. The occasion is the international reconstruction conference for his country, which he opened together with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. It is Zelenskyy’s third visit to Berlin since the Russian invasion more than two years ago.
The AfD parliamentary group executive recommended that AfD MPs stay away from Selenskyj’s speech. However, everyone is free to attend. The Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance, on the other hand, confirmed that BSW MPs would stay away from the speech.
Around 2,000 representatives from politics, business and international organizations are expected to attend the reconstruction conference. It is not a donor conference to raise money for reconstruction, but rather a networking event for the relevant actors.
In the Bundestag, Zelenskyj had already spoken to MPs on March 17, 2022, three weeks after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. At the time, he was connected live to the plenary hall via video and practically begged the Chancellor for more military support: “Dear Chancellor Scholz, tear down this wall. Give Germany the leadership role that Germany deserves.”
Germany is now Ukraine’s second most important supporter after the USA in terms of military and financial aid. However, Chancellor Scholz is still leaving Ukraine’s wishes unfulfilled. For example, he does not want to supply Taurus cruise missiles with a range of 500 kilometers and, unlike French President Emmanuel Macron, is strictly against sending NATO soldiers to Ukraine. Macron announced last week that he wanted to send military trainers to the war zone together with other countries.